Lately I've been pondering this question on a lot of
different levels. For starters, as a teacher there are a lot of things that we
do or have done to us that we don't question or push back against. To be clear
I don't think of pushing back as being insubordinate or unprofessional. What I
mean is, do we question and look for clarification or seek answers as to why we
are doing something? Or, do we take things at face value and simply follow
orders? If we are given a directive from an administrator that we do not feel
is in the best interest of our students, do we push back on behalf of those
students? I feel as though a great many teachers fear the consequences of
pushing back. They fear it will be a mark on their evaluation or possibly lead
to disciplinary action. Yet if we fail to push back, who is going to be there
to make sure the students are taken care of? Who better understands the needs
of the children in the classroom than the teacher who works with them daily?

On the other side of things I often hear of administrators
who don't push back either. There push back looks a little bit different in
that they are pushing back at their staff. I have seen several examples of
staff unwilling or uninterested in frankly doing their job as teachers or
working to improve themselves as professionals. They are mediocre and are doing
their work in the same manner in which they have for 20 or more years. What I
often fail to see is administrators pushing back against these teachers and
challenging them to improve for the sake of their students. I have even heard
the comments, “Well that is the way they have always done it. I'm not going to
change them at this point in their career.” That is essentially a white flag
and a blank check for that teacher to continue operating in a mediocre fashion.

Another element to this is teachers pushing back within
their own teacher ranks. This is not to saw we are bashing our own kind but are
we pushing back and challenging our colleagues or do we tolerate mediocrity
when we encounter it? In situations where a fellow teacher is doing something
you know to be wrong or is simply not being a team player, how are you
approaching it? Do you step away and decide not to get involved or do you say
something and try to push them into a positive direction? If we are not pushing
our fellow teachers or are willing to be pushed ourselves, are we doing all
students a disservice?

When it comes to the role of a parent I far too often see a
failure to push back. As a parent myself, I spent a lot of time around other
parents. My sons are swimmers and soccer players and I often find myself in a
bleacher or on the sideline talking to other parents. Very often these
conversations revolve around Ugg Boots or idle neighborhood gossip. However,
these conversations also revolve around school and what is happening with their
kids. I have lost track of the number of times a parent has complained to me
about something that has happened in school with their child. They ask me for
advice since they know I am a teacher. Nearly every single time a story such as
this is shared I ask them if they have ever pushed back. Have they ever called
the teacher and asked a question about why something took place. I asked them
if they have sought clarification or understanding or even a justification
about what is happening in the classroom. A vast majority of these parents all
answer the same. No. There is a fear holding them back. They don't want to be
viewed as “that” parent or have their actions or words taken out on their child.

Myself as a parent, I have held back on speaking up against
things at times because I didn't want it held against my child. As a parent and
a teacher we often have to walk a fine line. The fear that parents feel is real
because we have all seen teachers who hold the actions of a parent against a
child, as wrong as that is. Yet, I go back to the idea that if as a parent I
don't push back nothing will ever change. If there's something happening to my
child that I don't agree with, chances are that is happening to other children
and has been happening to other children. I feel as though we as parents have
an obligation to speak up not only for my child but also for every child whose
parents are afraid of speaking up.

Yes, there's a way to push back professionally and in a
civic manner and I realize not everyone pushes back in this manner. Sometimes
the push back comes in the form of ranting, raving and the occasion swearing.
Despite this, we as teachers, parents, administrators and everyone in between
need to not only be open to push back but also do some more pushing ourselves.
If fear is holding us back, what do we lose due to that inaction? More
importantly what are our children and students losing because of our fears?